Meeting Officially
by rachello344
Summary: After stopping the Crows together, Shinichi doesn't feel like working against Kaitou Kid anymore. Kid comes up with a plan to see each other frequently outside of heists. *cross-posted from Ao3 ETA: I'm terribly sorry about the spacing issues. I had extra spaces between scenes, but apparently they didn't carry over. My apologies.


"Oh? Hey, isn't this weird?" Shinichi wanted to hit himself.

Shit, he was an _adult,_ he didn't need to draw them to his way of thinking; he could just tell them what he thought now. But none of the detectives questioned it, of course, instead hurrying to his side so he could point out the discrepancy.

Before he could start explaining what he'd seen, he felt a sharp gaze focused on him. He spun around, but there was no one behind him and no one looking at him. The feeling didn't dissipate.

"Shinichi?" Inspector Megure asked hesitantly. Shinichi turned back with a sheepish smile.

"Sorry, I could have sworn… It's nothing." He continued with his deduction, on his guard.

"Hey, kid!" someone shouted as he walked away from the crime scene. Shinichi stopped on instinct before shaking it off and continuing. "I meant you, Kudo!" the voice called again. Shinichi frowned and turned slowly.

He wasn't sure who he was expecting to see, but Kaitou Kid was not it. And certainly not in civilian clothes and a baseball cap. That explained the weird feeling from before, at least.

"Calling _me_ kid. That's rich coming from you," Shinichi turned around and kept walking. Kid fell into step beside him easily.

"Hey, don't be rude," Kid said petulantly. "I came all this way to see you and you're being mean to me!" Shinichi rolled his eyes.

"Then don't come see me." Shinichi muttered. It wasn't that he didn't still want to see Kid, but things were different now. He was obligated to do his job and not bother Inspector Nakamori needlessly. He was working with Division One, not Division Two and that was that. Besides, after everything they'd been through…

"Great Detective, I'm surprised at you! Giving up a mystery as great as me for petty murderers… I'm ashamed that I ever considered you my best detective." Kid said loftily. Shinichi tried not to be pleased at the compliment, but was pretty sure something must have shown on his face.

"That's what I thought," Kid said. He stepped quickly in front of Shinichi, hat pulled securely over his face. "Here, I expect you to show up, okay? Don't be late!" Kid quickly handed Shinichi a rose with a card attached to it before grinning sharply and dropping a quick smoke bomb.

By the time the air cleared, he was gone.

"Drama queen," Shinichi mumbled, flipping the card over.

The card was similar to his usual heist notices, but was addressed to him specifically. As he read through it, he picked up on a subtle hint that the police knew he was invited and would be expecting him. Shinichi groaned.

He was considering just throwing it away without solving it fully. The police would have to force him to attend. Before he could just get rid of the card, he noticed something off about the doodle.

It looked like it was blowing him a kiss.

Shinichi closed his eyes. He had not done anything to deserve this. There was no reason for the thief to be so enamored with him. Sure, they had teamed up to take down the Crows, but they'd gone their separate ways. It wasn't like they could continue working together, not when Kid was still looking for Pandora and still stealing.

He just wasn't going to go, no matter how much he wanted to. There was no reason to encourage this kind of behavior. He was going to stay home and read a book.

That settled, he made his way home.

He stared balefully at the rose still on his coffee table. He'd been about to throw it out, but… He just couldn't quite bring himself to. It was kind of sweet, in a way. So, there it was, in a vase, in his library. He groaned.

He was going to throw out the notice, too, but he hadn't been able to let the puzzle go. The heist was going to be tonight in—he checked his watch—an hour. The inspector had called him, but he'd quickly shifted his voice to sound like he was sick.

He tried to forget about the heist and go back to reading, but it was hard. (It didn't help that he kept switching between reading "A Scandal in Bohemia" and getting up to consider his copy of "Arséne Lupin.")

By the time the heist time came around, he'd caved and started reading the faceoff between Sherlock Holmes and the great thief. He was starting on his third or fourth story, smiling to himself, when the door to the library opened.

"You weren't there, detective," Kid whined. Shinichi groaned. When he peeked around his chair, he was not surprised to see the spectacular pout on the thief's face. He _was_ surprised to see the night's target being tossed about absently.

Shinichi pressed his head to the edge of his armchair.

No. He was not dealing with this tonight. Before he could say anything, Kid laughed brightly.

"My, my, detective, reading about a thief? How would your precious Holmes feel if he knew you were cheating on him?" Kid teased, striding forward, petulance apparently forgotten. He smirked when his eye fell on the rose. Shinichi looked away, trying to at least _pretend_ he was reading.

Before he could even turn the page, the book was removed—vanished—out of his hands.

"What do you want, Kid? Why can't you just accept that I'm busy now?" he finally asked, turning his full attention on him. Kid seemed surprised.

"But you're not busy. I chose this day because it's your day off," Kid admitted, frowning deeply. "I was sure that, if you weren't working, you'd come to my heists again." Kid turned away, clearly disappointed. "Apparently I was wrong about you, Kudo. Don't worry, I won't bother you again."

Kid set the gem on Shinichi's coffee table and turned to leave. Shinichi winced. He looked so dejected. There was no change to his expression, but his usual energy seemed muted. And he'd called him _Kudo_. God, he must have really hurt Kid if he was dropping the nickname while in his full costume.

Shinichi was going to regret this.

"I don't want to go to heists, because I don't want to turn you in anymore."

Kid stopped where he was standing, but didn't turn around.

"We spent so much time planning together that working on opposite sides again is weird. I just…" Shinichi sighed, standing and turning to face Kid's back. "I just don't want to work _against_ you when I know how well we work _together_."

When Kid turned around, he was grinning again.

"Have you ever considered a role as magician's assistant?" he asked cheekily.

"No," Shinichi said flatly. "I'm not going to help you make a fool of Division Two."

"Aww, but we'd be working together again!"

"No."

"Hmm, well the only other way I can think of for us to work together…" Kid trailed off, moonlight glinting dangerously off his monocle. Shinichi felt his heart pounding. He was in so much trouble. "Did you like my special doodle for you? I can tell you appreciated the rose," he continued, taking a few steps back into the room, closer to Shinichi, edging towards _too_ close.

"I, uh, sorry?" Shinichi tried, unable to articulate his question correctly. Did he really mean…?

Kid shook his head, "Honestly, for a Great Detective, you can be remarkably dumb."

"I'm sorry that I'm bad with flirting, okay?" Shinichi blurted. Kid seemed surprised.

"So, you did understand. Then, are you or aren't you interested in dating me?"

"You're a thief." Shinichi answered quickly.

"I am. I also have a civilian persona, you know. You'd be dating him, not the phantom thief." Kid considered something for a moment. "Unless you'd _rather_ date the phantom thief. That could certainly be arranged."

"We've never met as ourselves before, though." Shinichi objected, ignoring the second half, sounding weak even to his own ears. Kid could obviously tell that the objections were more an obligation than anything.

Frankly, Shinichi couldn't think of a reason _not_ to date Kid. They worked well together as a team and got along when they weren't fighting—he even _enjoyed_ their fights. Kid was, admittedly, attractive, though Shinichi had never seen his whole face at the same time. Kid was up to more dangerous things than Shinichi and wouldn't be able to hassle him much about his work. Not to mention, Shinichi would never have to lie about his past.

Kid seemed to be waiting for a proper answer now, not bothering to address his last, pathetic objection. He'd only bothered to argue for the principle of it, really.

"I don't know you, yet, but after we've met each other properly and gotten to know each other as ourselves… I wouldn't mind going out with you," Shinichi decided.

Kid's grin was brighter than Shinichi could remember seeing.

"Come to the mall tomorrow. I'll meet you in the food court." Kid said simply.

"You're not going to do something reckless, are you?" Shinichi asked him suspiciously.

"Who, me? I would _never_."

"Lie," Shinichi accused flatly. Kid made a show of being offended and swept out of the room.

"Don't forget! Tomorrow at noon," Kid called over his shoulder.

Shinichi sighed. It seemed like Shinichi was going to meet Kid properly tomorrow.

That would be interesting.

"Kudo Shinichi?"

Shinichi glanced up curiously. Hakuba was making his way towards him briskly, and apparently recognized him from the news when he'd still allowed photographs. They'd never met while he wasn't Conan, after all.

"You're Hakuba Saguru, aren't you? You've been in the papers recently." Shinichi commented, trying to seem friendly and not wary. Two detectives in one place could only mean an impending murder.

"So _this_ is the Kudo you mentioned a while ago!" someone with a familiar voice said from behind Hakuba. As he stepped forward, Shinichi understood at once.

"Ah, right, Kudo, this is Kuroba Kaito, a… friend of mine." Hakuba seemed suspicious of Kid—Kuroba's intentions. Shinichi wouldn't trust his skills as a detective if he didn't.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kudo," Kuroba said, sweeping into a familiar bow. Shinichi raised an eyebrow when he was upright again. Kuroba had the gall to smirk at him. "You're a detective like Hakuba, right?"

"I am. I'm working as a consultant with the police department while I attend university." Shinichi explained mildly. He might as well run with this. The meeting was unconventional, but well-planned, as he'd expected.

"Were you here meeting someone, Kudo?" Hakuba asked, glancing at his watch. Shinichi considered Kuroba for a moment.

"I was, but I'm beginning to believe I've been stood up. Would the two of you like to join me for lunch?" he asked, rising to his feet. The two both nodded their agreement, Kuroba with more enthusiasm.

Shinichi made note of the suspicious glances Hakuba was still shooting Kuroba and tried not to laugh. Clearly, being friends with detectives who knew or suspected his identity was something Kid did regularly.

That figured. Kid was an adrenaline junkie, after all. What could be more thrilling than friendships with detectives? Though, he suspected now, dating one might be at least a bit more thrilling.

When the conversation between them inevitably turned to Sherlock Holmes, Kuroba groaned and stood.

"I'm going to go get a refill. Please be done talking about Holmes when I get back."

Hakuba snorted and continued what he had been saying, keeping one eye on Kuroba's retreating figure. When he was out of earshot, Hakuba pulled out what looked like a small scrambler. Shinichi glanced between the device and Hakuba for a moment, frowning.

"I wanted to talk to you without him overhearing," Hakuba explained with a shrug. "I wanted to ask you if you'd figured it out or not. I know you've been to at least one of his heists while I was overseas."

Shinichi considered him for a long moment. The scrambler was a bit much, but his heart was in the right place. He didn't need to know that Shinichi knew. It would bring up too many questions.

"I'm not sure why you're bringing up heists. This is the first time I've met Kuroba. I think I'd remember meeting a magician, after all. Although, I think I might have met his father once…" Shinichi said with some consideration.

"Don't tell me he has you fooled, too, Kudo. I'd really hoped you'd be able to see through his act." Hakuba sighed heavily. This was obviously a sore spot for him. Shinichi wondered just how many detectives Kid knew personally if Hakuba was only _resigned_ about it.

"I'm really not sure who you're talking about; you haven't been very specific. Why would Kuroba be related to a heist?"

"Oh, not this again, Hakuba. Haven't we already been over this?" Kuroba asked irritably, flopping into his seat. He shot a look at Shinichi, clearly looking for sympathy. "This guy is _convinced_ that I'm Kaitou Kid. It's _ridiculous_."

"I know you're a magician, but I don't think you're quite on Kaitou Kid's level, yet," Shinichi said, considering him. "You're still just a novice, aren't you?"

Hakuba was startled into a laugh. Kuroba actually looked more than a little irritated, like he was going to hit Shinichi at the least. Shinichi smirked. Pride seemed to be a weak point. That could be entertaining.

"Just you wait, Kudo. I'll make you eat those words."

Hakuba actually looked uneasy at that, but Shinichi couldn't help but lean back and smirk at him.

"You're welcome to try, Kuroba."

And with that, an excuse for seeing each other outside of heists was decided upon. Shinichi was glad for it—this way they could still have their rivalry while they got to know each other. He'd hate to lose the banter just because they were going to date in the future.

When the three of them went their separate ways—no one had even died!—Shinichi didn't bother to move very quickly. Any minute now, Kuroba was going to join him, he was sure.

"Were you waiting long?" he asked Shinichi cheekily. Shinichi glanced at him and rolled his eyes.

"Earlier or just now?"

"Either, I suppose. Were you surprised to see me with Hakuba?"

"Not as surprised as I should have been, really. You seem like the kind of person who likes to befriend his adversaries, after all," Shinichi said, giving him a meaningful look. Kuroba burst out laughing.

"What can I say? I take after my dad in more ways than our nighttime activities, I suppose. My dad was always hanging around detectives," he clarified. "Inspector Nakamori was good friends with him. He also mentioned a novelist he was, based on his description, frenemies with." Kuroba laughed. "My mom told me more stories about them after I found out."

"That was my dad."

Kuroba actually seemed floored for a minute before he resumed laughing. Shinichi turned his eyes forward again, smiling.

"You know, I think this might actually be destiny. Kaitou Kid is just meant to be in contact with a Kudo. It's fate."

"Who am I to disagree with fate," Shinichi shrugged mildly. It wasn't like being "in contact" with Kuroba was a hardship or anything. Occasionally irritating, but not really anything he couldn't handle.

"That's the spirit," Kuroba cheered, slinging an arm around Shinichi's shoulders. Shinichi considered stepping out from under his arm, but, in the end, he decided it didn't really bother him that much. It was actually kind of nice. It wasn't like they wouldn't be trying the whole dating thing soon anyway.

They were, of course, still walking like that when they ran into Ran as they passed by Poirot. Shinichi had forgotten about the arm until Ran stared at it like she couldn't believe it was really there. The look began to grow thoughtful as they slowed to a stop in front of her.

"Shinichi, you didn't tell me you finally found yourself a boyfriend," she finally exclaimed. Shinichi could feel his cheeks heating rather rapidly and shook his head quickly.

"We aren't dating, Ran. This is Kuroba Kaito. We're… friends of a sort."

"How mean, Kudo!" Kuroba pouted dramatically. "Although, I suppose he _is_ right. I haven't asked him out, yet. I'm still figuring out which display I want to go with," he winked. Shinichi blinked at him for a moment.

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Shinichi asked warily.

"Anyway, I'm Kuroba Kaito and I'm going to be a world-famous magician," Kuroba said, ignoring Shinichi and presenting Ran with a pink rose.

"My name is Mouri Ran. And right now, I'm considering joining the police academy." Ran smiled down at the flower, clearly charmed.

Ran glanced back up at Shinichi quickly, "That's right! I wanted to ask you if you wanted to come by for dinner sometime this week. I haven't seen you in _ages_."

Shinichi grimaced. He'd been so tied up with work and school recently that he hadn't been seeing much of _anyone_ unless they worked at the precinct.

"I'd love to come to dinner, Ran. Sorry, I've been so busy. Name the day and I'll ask for the night off, okay?" Shinichi smiled sheepishly. Ran looked both startled and delighted. Had he really been so neglectful?

"I'm holding you to that. I'll text you the day when I decide, okay? I'll even make sure to give you at least three days notice. You're not getting out of it this time." She glanced at her watch, her shoulders drawing up in surprise. "Is that the time? I'm going to be late to meet Eisuke!" She started hurrying away before turning around.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Kuroba. You should know, though, I'm a nationally-ranked karate champion, so take care of him, okay?" Ran asked brightly.

"Of course, Mouri, it would be my honor." Kuroba said solemnly.

They started to walk again after she'd hurried off. Shinichi belatedly realized that Kuroba had never removed his arm.

"You didn't have to tell her you were planning on asking me out," Shinichi grumbled.

"I didn't have to, but I wanted to make sure she knew what my intentions were. I know how important your _big sister_ is to you," Kuroba teased lightly.

"Big sister, _indeed_. Honestly, Kuroba, now she's going to ask me about you at dinner. Then what am I going to say? I barely know you," Shinichi protested, huffing as he crossed his arms.

"Just because we met under strange circumstances doesn't mean we don't know each other," Kuroba said, tone suddenly serious. "We know the important things and the rest we can figure out. We have all the time in the world, now."

"I suppose that's true," Shinichi admitted. "A few concrete details about _this_ you would help, though."

"Well, I'm a magician trying to outdo my dead father's legacy." Kuroba listed thoughtfully. "I'm a great snow boarder, but I cannot ice skate to save my life. My best friend's name is Aoko, Inspector Nakamori's daughter, and my other two friends are a detective and a witch. Will that do?" Kuroba asked, meeting Shinichi's eyes again.

"You can't ice skate?" he asked.

"That's what you focus on? Really, detective?"

Shinichi shrugged; with what he'd seen, a witch was hardly _that_ strange. The two of them burst into laughter, leaning into each other as they started walking again. Really, the whole _situation_ was unbelievable.

As they approached Shinichi's house, they both hesitated.

"How long do we have to wait for Hakuba's suspicion to abate?" Shinichi asked Kuroba seriously. Kuroba was right, after all. They knew each other better than Shinichi had realized. It would be a shame to put off going on dates just to get to know each other. That's what dates were for in the first place.

"I don't think he knows how to _stop_ suspecting people, but it depends. How long do you think it would take you to start dating someone?" Kuroba asked, clearly thinking of different plans of attack. Shinichi coughed.

"I'd been in love with Ran for most of my life before Conan and we never really dated. We should _not_ be using me as a reference."

"I always thought I'd ask Aoko out—it was kind of expected, really—but that was before I became Kid and she started dating Hakuba." Kuroba grimaced. "We are really bad at this aren't we."

"The worst."

"Two weeks of being seen hanging out sound good?" Kuroba asked after a long pause.

"Great," Shinichi agreed. There was another long moment of silence as they finally moved up to Shinichi's front door. He turned to face Kuroba, suddenly unsure of what the etiquette was. They weren't dating, but they wanted to be, so did they—

Kuroba pressed a warm kiss to Shinichi's cheek.

"You'll have to wait for our first proper date for our first proper kiss," Kuroba said brightly, his cheeks going just slightly pink. Shinichi, by contrast, felt like his ears were burning.

Kuroba skipped down the steps and paused only to wave when he reached the gate. After that, he was quickly around the corner and out of sight.

Shinichi fumbled his keys and shakily opened the door.

He was officially involved with Kaitou Kid. Kuroba had kissed his cheek. This really shouldn't be such a big deal, Shinichi knew that objectively, but…

He was already looking forward to their first date. He might not have been sure at the start, but the more he thought about it, the better an idea it seemed.

He was going to date Kaitou Kid—no, _Kuroba Kaito_.

He was actually… _happy_.

"What are your intentions with Kudo?" Hakuba demanded the next day during a late lunch. Kaito huffed, turning back to his news feed.

"I think he's cute and I'm gonna ask him out. Did you hear about the triple homicide he helped solve yesterday?" Kaito whistled appreciatively. He could feel Hakuba growing more flustered. He kept the smirk off his face.

"Just because he doesn't know now, doesn't mean he won't figure it out. Then where will you be?" Hakuba asked, his voice low. "Do you need a hint? You'll be in prison."

"My, Hakuba, I didn't know you cared so much," Kaito batted his eyes flirtatiously. "If only you'd told me so sooner…" Hakuba only scowled.

"Don't play the fool with me, Kuroba. If anyone is going to arrest you, it's me." Hakuba turned away, his cheeks going a bit pink. "Just—be careful. If you got arrested, Aoko would be sad."

"Why would Aoko be sad?" Aoko asked curiously, dropping soundlessly into the seat next to Hakuba. They both jumped a bit guiltily. Hakuba seemed to be caught at a loss, so Kaito thought quickly.

"You'd be sad if I forgot to tell you about the boy I want to date," Kaito said easily. Aoko looked surprised and pleased.

"It's about time you found someone, Kaito. Who is he?" she asked, beaming as she took Hakuba's hand. Kaito smiled.

"You've heard of him, I think," Kaito started.

"He wants to date Kudo Shinichi," Hakuba finished.

"And here I thought you thought all detectives were morons, Kaito," Aoko teased. "Could it be, you've been wrong all this time?" Kaito leaned back in his chair, scoffing.

"Yeah _right_, no detective is a match for Kaitou Kid, but I think Kudo could probably get the closest," Kaito said decisively. "And he's prettier. No offense, Hakuba."

"None taken."

"So, when do I get to meet him? Have you asked him out yet?" Aoko asked, excitement clearly building. Kaito laughed.

"You can meet him when he's ready to meet you," Kaito rolled his eyes. "And we've been hanging out pretty often—he keeps trying to find the trick behind my magic," Kaito added fondly, "I'll probably ask him out within the next few days. When the time is right."

"Aw, are you gonna do something special to surprise him?" Aoko asked, looking a bit dreamy. Kaito laughed.

"I'm gonna try. It's hard to surprise a detective," Kaito said. He'd also have to be careful not to surprise him too much or he might feel trapped or attacked. Nothing with any noises that could be mistaken for gunshots and nothing where Kaito pretended to be someone else first…

"…wish Hakuba would do something romantic every now and again."

"We go on dates all the time, Aoko!"

"Yeah, but you're always stopping in the middle to solve crimes," Aoko complained. Kaito smiled at the two of them, glad he hadn't actually missed much while he was distracted. Aoko continued scolding Hakuba who was looking more sheepish and apologetic by the minute.

He was glad they'd found each other, even if he'd been jealous for a while.

Kaito was surprised out of his thoughts by his phone vibrating once against his thigh.

_Do me a favor and get me out of here_, Kudo wrote.

_Where are you?_ Kaito replied, frowning at his phone. Kudo never wanted to leave cases early; it was always a battle to get him to _stop_ working…

The next text rattled off an address and a quick 'thanks.'

"Sorry, guys, I have to run. I've been summoned for a daring rescue," he winked at his friends brightly. Hakuba looked concerned, clearly about to ask, but Kaito subtly shook his head.

"Tell Kudo we said hello," Aoko grinned. "Don't forget, you're having dinner with my dad and I tomorrow."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Hi, I'm looking for Kudo Shinichi," Kaito told the officer at the police tape with a pleasant smile.

"I'm sorry, I can't allow a civilian to come through—"

"See, I _thought_ we'd agreed on the time—I know he's a bit scatterbrained when he's on a case—it's just, tonight is date night," Kaito finally said with a sigh, glancing at the cop with as pleading and earnest a look as he could manage.

"Well," he hesitated. "Okay, you can go in. Kudo should be with Inspector Megure. Last I heard, they were doing interviews."

"Thank you, officer. This really means a lot to me."

Kaito walked quickly inside before the man changed his mind and started looking for Kudo. He'd really have to ask about calling him Shinichi. Calling him Kudo when he was planning on asking him out was starting to feel a bit weird.

As he rounded a corner, he could hear the familiar voice of Inspector Megure and another person arguing. Kaito figured that's where Shinichi would be. When he entered the room, he saw that he was exactly right.

"Kaito," Kudo exclaimed on seeing him. Kaito beamed, pleased even as _Shinichi_ seemed to realize he'd used a more familiar address than he usually did. His face was _scarlet_.

"So this is where you've been, Shinichi." Kaito rolled his eyes, not bothering to suppress the smile. "Honestly, do you realize what time it is?"

"I—"

"Kudo, who the hell is this?" Hattori Heiji demanded, cutting his argument short for the moment. Kaito smiled disarmingly. Hattori was notably hot-headed and one of Shinichi's best friends. He'd need to play this… delicately.

"I'm Shinichi's boyfriend." Nailed it.

"_Kaito_."

"Kuroba Kaito, magician," Kaito said, boldly throwing his arm across Shinichi's shoulders. Shinichi groaned, putting a hand over his face, but Hattori was stunned speechless. Mission accomplished.

"_This_ is the guy Mouri told Kazuha about? The one that had you all tongue-tied?" Hattori asked, giving Kaito a blatant once-over. Kaito glanced at Shinichi out of the corner of his eye. Blushing now, so Hattori wasn't making it up. Kaito tugged Shinichi closer.

"That's me," Kaito declared.

"Kazuha said you guys hadn't started going out yet," Hattori said, glancing between the two of them curiously. "I guess you were serious when you said you weren't into Mouri anymore, huh? But you're gonna date _him_ instead of—"

"Nope. No. _No._ I'm not dealing with this right now." Shinichi stepped under Kaito's arm and walked to the door. "Megure, I'm leaving for the night. Hattori, we can talk about this later. Kaito," he turned to meet Kaito's eyes, "_You_ owe me dinner."

"Yes, sir," Kaito replied with a cheerful salute, skipping into step beside him.

"You are the most troublesome person I have ever met," Shinichi told him, still looking tense and irritable as they walked. Kaito shrugged.

"I didn't have any disguises with me, so I told the guy at the front that it was date night and you were late. After that, I kind of figured I should stick to one story."

"Hattori is going to be giving me a hard time for _weeks_. He's still convinced that Ran and I are made for each other or something, and now—"

"Now, it's too late for you to worry about it." Kaito said calmly. "You and I are going on our first date. It's going to be awesome and you're going to stop with whatever spiral you're in right now. Whatever you're worrying about can wait until after dinner, right?" Kaito asked, taking Shinichi's hand. Shinichi seemed prepared to fight him on it, but, after a moment, the tension drained out of him in a rush.

"I'm sorry, Kaito. The case today was… rough. And with Hattori there, it just started feeling really… claustrophobic." Shinichi winced. Kaito squeezed his hand. "I'm sorry I lashed out at you. I should be thanking you for getting me out of there."

"Consider dinner both my apology and your thank you, then. I _am_ sorry that I told Hattori and Megure we're dating. It was the only plan I could see working." Kaito started shifting their route to lead to the restaurant he'd been planning on.

"You're probably right. If you'd told Hattori we were just friends, he would have wondered why he hadn't met you yet and Megure would wonder how you'd gotten in…" Shinichi sighed. "Your plan _was_ successful, if a bit ungraceful."

"I'll do better next time."

Kaito caught sight of the restaurant and ushered Shinichi over to it and inside. Shinichi was startled into a laugh. Kaito was glad. It had taken him a pretty solid amount of research to find a restaurant with a detective pun in the name.

They were still laughing over a story Kaito had been telling when they made it to Shinichi's door. Their laughter slowed to a stop. Shinichi was fidgeting with his keys, glancing up at Kaito before looking away. Kaito grinned.

"Are you nervous, detective? It's just a kiss, you know," Kaito teased, leaning into Shinichi's space. Shinichi's nervousness fell away as he stood taller.

"What's that supposed to mean," Shinichi asked, leaning to mirror Kaito. "Do you think I'm worried about kissing a dork like you?" Shinichi tilted his head in challenge. Kaito laughed, unable to help himself.

He had just barely regained control of himself when Shinichi pressed a soft kiss to his lips. Kaito blinked. He hadn't quite expected… It wasn't like Shinichi was shy or anything, but he'd still…

Shinichi was looking decidedly smug when they pulled apart. Not to be outdone, Kaito pulled him into another kiss, longer and a bit firmer than the first. When they pulled back, Shinichi's eyes remained closed for a minute, his smile warm and easy. Shinichi sighed before opening his eyes again.

"I'd invite you in, but I have to get up early tomorrow."

Kaito nodded, "Can I take you to lunch?"

"If you're okay with Hattori inviting himself along, sure," Shinichi said with a shrug. "He'll probably want to interrogate you, but it'll be fine. Probably."

"I hang out with Hakuba; I should be able to handle him."

"If you want to distract him… Well, I'm sure you'll figure it out," Shinichi said, eyes bright in the light from the moon. They leaned into each other to steal a final kiss or two, before Kaito pulled back and took a step away.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Shinichi."

"Good night, Kaito."


End file.
